Nudism numbers in America drop, younger nudists going it alone

A spokesman for the American Assoc. for Nude Recreation, Tom Mulhall, told media last week the AANR's numbers are shrinking. The association once had 50,000 plus but in recent years have dropped to 35,000.

The solution? Trying to get younger by convincing young nudist to join their more formal nudist organizations. It's not simply to have more naked people wandering around their clubs, Mulhall says, but to ensure the future of nudism.

"Our reaching out to young people is being done, in part, to expand nudists' rights," Mulhall recently told NBC News. "For example, this year they closed Lighthouse Beach (on Long Island) for nude use. We're saying: If you want to protect nude beaches so that when you're older you can enjoy them, you've got to join the movement, too."

Youthful nudists form YNA

One problem appears to be that some younger nudists do not feel so welcome in nudists resorts peopled by the older nudists and many have complained that older nudists are not receptive to them. An example of a point of friction is that many nudist resorts don't welcome nudists who engage in genital piercings, prevalent among the young.

Further, the more youthful nudists feel comfortable being naked in less-formal venues, such as remote trails and lakes and on nude beaches in or near cities like Wreck Beach in Vancouver, Canada. They don't need formal venues to be naked.

Where does this leave the future of nudism in North America? The naked truth is nudism is not dying off, not without a fight. The Young Naturists and Nudists America (YNA) is a club that has 300 members and growing so whether young nudists embrace the established nudism resorts, there is a growing movement for them.

Being naked around a bonfire, on a beach, or poolside in a more formal setting isn't about to go away anytime soon, just ask YNA co-founder, Felicity Jones. She says that it's about a lifestyle that is positive and that will continue to thrive.